The last day had been quite interesting. He was now part of an actual army. The closest similar thing he could have considered getting involved with before the last few days was a gang, but now he had become an officer in a massive group of 300 people, working alongside actual military guys.
He had been a little taken aback at first by how professional the military guys were acting inside a game, but like everyone else in the guild’s first army, he managed to get used to it quite quickly after giving them some odd looks.
Thankfully the players all acted relatively well given the situation, taking orders in stride and pulling their weight. It did help that they received payment in the form of guild contribution which they could exchange for real money or items, as well as as progression up the guild ranks, especially for those who impressed the military guys and current officers present.
It was now the morning of the second day of travelling and they were taking a short break to rest and eat. Until now he had been travelling up and down the column of players talking to and answering questions while they marched.
It was one of his gripes about Caelus, there was a LOT of walking. Granted, it was another world, and towns wouldn't be just 5 minutes away from each other, but still!
Thankfully there were plenty of players and they all had lots of time to talk to each other or use the forums which, apparently, would become something every player would end up using to pass the time. Still, he had been given the unofficial role of placating the masses.
But currently, they were all sitting around on the crude road that would better fit the description of a farm track while eating and resting. Tyrell had just called him over, his stream still running so he expected that he was somehow going to be dragged into being involved.
After Russel meandered his way through the resting players he stood beside Tyrell, glancing at the floating blue orb similar to the ones floating next to some of the other players in the army that indicated that they were streaming as well. With a quick glance at the magical thingy that was apparently now showing his face to an unknown number of people, he looked at his friend.
“Ayy man, what's up?”
Tyrell gave his puldron a pat as he spoke, a grin present on his face as he gestured to the orb.
“Ah, Residios, streams asking about you man, they want to know about the others who beat up that oversized mug the other night.”
Russel gave a nod to the orb, crossing his arms as he spoke, his face stoic.
“Ask away, I will answer what I can.”
Tyrell looked at a system screen only he could see for a few moments before turning back to him.
“Alright, you heard the man… let's start with my man Shicter. He wants to know what you do in Lex Divina. He says he has seen you going up and down the army on your horse during the march and got curious.”
Russel let out a hum as he looked at the orb.
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“Good question. I have been given a role as an officer within the combat side of the guild. Depending on what happens I will end up leading players, in Astaria’s party, or both. I am also in the guild's upper echelons, so I have a voice within the leadership council. So yeah, mans a bigshot.”
Tyrell checked the screen again while he spoke, his voice sounding slightly distracted as he tried to multitask.
“There you man have it, as I mentioned earlier, some have a similar position, myself included. But a bigshot? Brv, you need to grow another foot taller first.”
Russel gave Tyrell a disapproving snort at his banter at his height, giving him the middle finger while waiting for him to continue.
“Now, for our next question from… Gashly. He asks what Astaria is like. Since she is currently so mysterious despite being so famous after her recent stunts, little is known about her other than her appearance at the Haligrad gates. As someone close to her, what is your opinion of her? That's a good question, won't lie.”
Russel readjusted his posture slightly to be more comfortable as he hummed in contemplation while slowly nodding to himself.
“Honestly, she is chill. Realistic and down to earth, cares a hell of a lot for her mates and is generally an alright person. Its kinda crazy about her new nickname, Bloody Maiden was it? Honestly, for a mage, she uses her sword too much. But she did explain that with her current magic reserves killing hundreds of goblins would be too slow if she relied on her mana. Like my man is complaining about slaugher being too slow! But when she gets serious with her magic? If what I have seen is any indication, you guys will need to start working on a new nickname.”
Tyrell let out a snort of amusement as he shook his head, directly addressing Russel before returning to his screen.
“You have no idea, she has already earned her right to a long grey beard and the title of wizard. But yeah, she will need a new nickname for sure. Give her something edgy, us lot need something new to torment her with. Elemental Queen or The Great Magic Calamity. I would have weeks of ammunition!”
“Anyway, next we have a question from Devil asking how skilled you are compared to the rest of the raid party.”
Russel let out another hum as he thought over the new question.
“Well, honestly? Compared to the skull crusher next to me, I'm not on the same level. My mans a force of nature. Nah, I’m probably the weakest of the party, but I'm not that terrible. After killing so many goblins I have got a hang of things so can handle myself, but the rest are better than me. That said, the system skills as some of you already know are great for helping you learn the basics. Follow their subtle guidance and you will improve. And make sure to level up the basic weapon skill as much as you can, it helps significantly. Personally, though, I haven’t played many MMO’s, so I am not that good with where to use skills and positioning, but thanks to the guidance I have been given I’m quickly improving.”
Tyrell shook his head as he lightly thumped Russel on his chest plate.
“Ayy man, don’t sell yourself short. You are already kicking ass. I saw man yeet a goblin onto another's spear with a shield bash! A class badassery! Anyway, one last question before I let you go, break time is almost over after all. We got one here from Arkburst asking how you feel about the cohesion of the army given that everyone is working together for the first time.”
Russel gave a nod in understanding as he glanced back over the resting players.
“Yeah, I will freely admit that there are plenty of flaws. As you said, it's everyone’s first time and this game is different from anything else before it, so many man here are still unfamiliar. But we have had a few chances to practice some basic formations and to spar with each other, so we are not strangers. That said, having potential rewards offered to those who perform well within the team directly from the guild had helped motivate everyone, so I feel things will go well.”
Tyrell gave a thumbs up in agreement as he directly addressed the stream.
“There you have it. My man Residios spitting some truth here. Anyway, we will temporarily pause the questions as we are about to resume the march.”
After a parting fistbump, Russel returned to his horse where he once again mounted and waited for everyone to stand back up and get ready to set out.
****
After a couple more hours they had successfully passed the rough point where the gnoll tribe had reached to their west and they were gaining ground to the settlement the scouts had found directly in the path of the tribe.
Upon the revelation that they would have less time to evacuate the villagers and prepare to fight the gnolls than they had first hoped, the army sped up its march, being forced to delve into their reserves of previously prepared stamina potions to maintain the pace.
They had managed to make it with at least two hours to spare and immediately set to work. The villagers had initially been particularly fearful of the suddenly appearing army, but thanks to the professionalism and experience of the military guys who handled the first contact with the village, the situation played out far better than had it been a player. Thankfully most of the locals had accepted the situation and begun to swiftly evacuate further south.
Despite the sudden urgency that had struck many of the villagers with a sense of panic, some had decided to stay for as long as they safely could in order to help the guild prepare their defences, an action that was greatly appreciated by the many players who were shocked by how realistic the so-called ‘NPC’s’ were.
If nothing else, the local's assistance had helped motivate many of the players to help keep them alive, a result that those in the know were privately overjoyed with.